There’s nothing better than watching a movie and snacking on popcorn! Literally, every time we see a movie at the cinema, my husband and I always get the large popcorn to share. Movie popcorn is great but what if you could make popcorn at home and give it a gourmet twist for cheap??? That is how I came up with this Homemade Truffle Salt popcorn.
Making popcorn at home is so easy and a fraction of the cost of the popcorn you can buy at the movie theater. At my local grocery store, you can buy 20 oz of organic popcorn kernels for $2.38. A bag of 20 oz of popcorn kernels will make about 80 cups of popcorn! Now that is an economic snack!
You may be thinking that popcorn is unhealthy… well, it can be depending on what you put on the popcorn. Often times, at movie theaters, it is very tempting to pile on fake butter and extra salt on popcorn, but you don’t need it. Those kinds of toppings have also been linked to some concerning side effects such as migraines and tremors, and high trans fats diets have been associated with heart disease. In my opinion, these toppings mask the real flavor of the popcorn and there are quite a few health benefits of popcorn that you may not be aware of.
Popcorn is a whole grain and high in fiber. High fiber diets aid digestion and keeps you feeling full. In a surprising scientific finding, popcorn actually contains a high amount of antioxidants – even more than some fruit! Popcorn also has a high amount of manganese, which can help with bone structure and prevent osteoporosis and other bone density related conditions.
To give our homemade popcorn an extra hint of flavor, I used a mixture of smoked salt and truffle zest. My mother-in-law, Sandra, gave me this truffle zest from Sabatino Tartufi, and I have been using it on everything! It is actually made of ground black truffles so it smells and tastes delicious! If you’ve never heard of truffles before, they are an underground fungus (like a mushroom!) that has a strong, slightly sweet, earthy flavor. They grow in specific climates and soil, and are found by using specially trained dogs or pigs. Because of this, they can be very expensive to buy whole, so this truffle zest is a much more affordable alternative.
The key to this popcorn is using the seasoning as an accent to the popcorn. Resist the urge to drown the popcorn in butter too! It is actually really fun to pour the freshly popped popcorn onto a large cookie sheet, then drizzle on the melted grass-fed butter and sprinkle on the truffle salt. Kids would love helping with this step! By doing this, it is much more obvious to see where you have seasoned the popcorn and you are less likely to just keep adding more seasoning to hope that it drips down to the bottom of the popcorn bowl! For more even coverage, you could also add your melted butter to a clean, food safe spray bottle and butter the popcorn that way.
This popcorn turned out so good! I love the addition of the smoky truffle salt, the delicious counterpoint to the crunchy, slightly buttery popcorn.
Please let me know if you give this recipe a try. I love making popcorn at home, and I hope, after seeing how easy this recipe is, you will love it too. Also, feel free to play around with the seasonings. If you don’t like truffle salt, what about a garlic herb butter mixture? Or a cinnamon butter seasoning? Maybe you’d like a spicy ancho chile and oregano popcorn seasoning??? The options are endless!
If you make this lovely snack, please tag me at @nourish_with_renata and #nourishwithrenata on Instagram! I would love to see what you make!
Making popcorn at home is so easy and this 2 ingredient Truffle Salt takes it over the top!
- 2 tbsp oil of choice e.g. vegetable oil
- ½ cup popcorn kernels
- 1 tsp smoked salt
- 1 tsp truffle zest seasoning e.g. Sabatino Tartufi
- ¼ cup melted grass-fed butter
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In a large, heavy bottomed pot with a lid, such as a Dutch Oven, add in the oil and begin to heat over a medium-high flame.
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As the oil is heating, add in the popcorn kernels in a single layer and put the lid on.
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Once the popcorn kernels start popping, periodically shake the pot to make sure nothing burns. The popcorn is done when the popping slows down and you can wait at least 5 seconds before another pop.
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Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the smoked salt and truffle zest.
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Gently melt the butter in a small bowl or measuring cup with a spout.
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Once the popcorn is done, pour it onto a large cookie sheet. Use the melted butter to gently drizzle the popcorn with butter, then sprinkle on the truffle salt seasoning.
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Serve immediately!
Notes:
- Butter can be substituted with coconut oil or ghee.
- Kosher salt or Pink Himalayan pink salt can be used in place of the smoked salt.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container, Ziploc bag or similar.
